Hobbies And Interests
Monkeys
There are so many species of monkeys in the rainforest that scientists have yet to discover them all. The newest discovery was in 2009 when a brand new species, Mura's tamarin, was found. Some of the types of monkeys that are found throughout the forests are spider monkeys (12 species) , tamarins (dozens of species), howler monkeys (9 species), capuchin monkeys (24 species), squirrel monkeys (12 species) and marmosets (25 species).
Big Cats
The rainforests are also home to the world's big cats. The top predator in the Amazon and American rainforests is the jaguar. It can grow up to eight feet and weigh 250 pounds. The cougar (also called a puma or a mountain lion) is also found in the American rainforests. Cougars hit about 200 pounds fully grown. Tigers are found in the Asian rainforests and are considered the most formidable cat on earth. They can reach a weight of 500 pounds. Sadly, there are only an estimated 4,000 tigers left in the wild today. The leopard is the big cat that lives in the African rainforest and grows to 140 pounds.
Bats, Rodents and Edentates
Most of the 300 species of animals are made up of bats and rodents. The largest rodent in the world, the capaybara, is found in the Amazon, and can grow to 200 pounds. Edentates, which include sloths, anteaters and armadillos, are only found in the New World rainforests. Tapirs, lemurs, otters, deer, spectacled bears and many other species of mammals only found in the rainforests of the world all survive in this ecosystem.
Reptiles and Amphibians
There are dozens of species of snakes, lizards, crocodiles and turtles found in the rainforests. Many are illegally trapped in order to be sold in the international pet markets. There are more than one thousand species of frogs found here. Unlike other areas, though, rainforest frogs live in the trees and not near the water. The high humidity of the forest gives them the freedom to move among the trees and avoid many of the predators on the forest floor.